RHS Harlow Carr Garden

October 19, 2024

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I never get the opportunity to explore the RHS Harlow Carr gardens during the AGS show; there is far too much for me to do in the show halls. So we usually try to make a chance to visit the gardens the day after the show, or as this year on the Friday beforehand.

Here is a small sample of what we saw, mainly photos with little more than occasional plant names.

It was a lovely, sunny autumn day (one of the best we have had this year), and the autumn perennials were magnificent, backlit by the low sunshine.

Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii

This Aconitum provided a great feature in several places in the garden.

Cortaderia selloana

Pampas grass to me !

Rudbeckia

There were wonderful plantings of Rudbeckia everywhere, including (first picture) a Rudbeckia triloba cultivar.

Michaelmas daisies

The Michaelmas daisies form the backbone of many of the displays at this time of year, contrasting in different ways with Rudbeckia and Verbena bonariensis.

Rock Garden

The new rock garden being created near the Alpine House is starting to take shape, and some initial planting has taken place.

Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Dark Desire’

My favourite of all the grasses in the garden is Pennisetum alopecuroides. Glorious when backlit by the sun. The first three images are a cultivar called ‘Dark Desire’, the fourth is ‘Red Head’, and I think the last is ‘Fairy Tails’, which is a hybrid.

Vitis coignetiae

At the bottom of the garden, down near the Old Bath House, a huge plant of Vitis coignetiae, clambering over an oak tree provided spectacular autumn colour.

Leucanthemella serotina

In the white garden, one of my favourite autumn perennials was backlit by the sun.

The bright red Persicaria looked better when photographed with the sun coming over my shoulder.

Banks of Helenium were planted against a backdrop of Miscanthus sinensis, with Anaphalis triplinervis Sommerschnee around the edges, lapping the grass.

As we moved east through the sandstone rock garden at the centre of the garden, the sun sparked fiery tones from the maples, Cercis and Euonymus.

Grey squirrels foraged among the borders and pools, where clumps of grass provided interesting tones and textures.

The Colchicums we have enjoyed on other visits were all beaten flat by the weather.

Eventually we passed the wonderful dandelion seed sculptures, and reached the Teaching Garden, where beds burgeoned with Rudbeckia, Echinacea and Miscanthus among the vegetables.

Passing the Bramhall Centre, where the show would be held the following morning, we reached a wonderful glowing red mound of Euonymus alatus, with the silvery fronds of Miscanthus sinensis set against it.

The way back to the exit passed wonderful autumn colours, and a Eucryphia still in full bloom.

One last shot – the soft brushes of Pampas grass against deep red autumn leaves. Tomorrow, the show.

Read previous entries at The Photographers Diary

Jon Evans

Jon lives and gardens on the north side of the Hogsback on the border between Hampshire and Surrey, on a heavy clay soil. He is a long standing member of the AGS and has been treasurer of the local group in Woking for many years. He is interested in bulbs of all sorts, particularly those from South Africa, and has recently won his Gold Medal at AGS shows after about twenty years.

However, he is best known within the AGS as an enthusiastic amateur photographer. For about 10 years he was responsible for organising the artistic and photographic section of the AGS shows around the country, and also for organising the show photography. During this period, he set up and ran the AGS Digital Image Library. He still visits many shows each year to catalogue the extraordinary achievements of the exhibitors, and is actively involved in other plant photography, both in gardens both public and private, and on outings to view and photograph wild flowers in the UK.

If you have any comments or queries for Jon, you can contact him direct at agsdiary.photographer@agsgroups.org

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